One Small Moment
by The Little House Scribe
Summary: Ginny makes the decision to leave the Room of Requirement when Harry shakes his head at her in this alternative tale


"**I can't go home!" Ginny shouted, angry tears sparkling in her eyes. "My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and -"**

**Her eyes met Harry's for the first time. She looked at him beseechingly, but he shook his head… - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**

And Ginny stood, staring at him for a second. Then she did something entirely unexpected.

Ginny smiled, and for one second Harry was so taken aback he became disjointed with reality. Shaking his head, he saw Ginny was no longer there; but he imagined he saw her lingering grin remain, like the Cheshire Cat's.

"I didn't expect her to give in so easily." Harry muttered; but he couldn't dwell on Ginny any more – she was going to be safe, Harry reminded himself, as he made his mind focus on his task.

Ginny didn't understand why she left the room. Something told her that she needed to go – although everything screamed at her to stay, no matter what, here she found herself in the Hogs Head, with the last of the underage students apparating out.

_Of course, _Ginny thought. _She understood why her family and Harry had wanted her gone and safe…but _Ginny considered wryly. _Didn't they understand that she felt exactly the same about them? Had Voldemort begun his attack yet? What had happened. Ginny hated being stuck away from the people she loved, coddled, eternally too young, always left behind. _Ginny felt a white hot fury erupt inside her, at Harry, at Mum, for making her leave, unable to know what was happen, helpless to assist. Her anger manifested itself as Aberforth's glasses began to explode. The bartender didn't seem to be perturbed about that; but it did calm her down. It wasn't Harry's fault, nor her Mum's. She might have done the same thing, in their positions. Harry had lost so much. Even in all the havoc, it warmed Ginny's heart that Harry would try to keep her safe, no matter what.

But Ginny's anger returned with renew intensity, directed at _Tom Riddle and his bandwagon of loons. She'd earned her right to fight them. She'd been tortured along with most students at Hogwarts under the Carrows. Safe? No one is safe; and Ginny was damned if she was going to allow her friends to sacrifice themselves whilst she hid, like a miserable rat._

Ginny made up her mind to return up the corridor; but that plan was quickly scuppered. The tunnel no longer existed.

Ginny turned and looked at the group around her; Aberforth and a handful of underage students that were unwilling or unable to leave remained in the bar.

A couple of pops brought drawn wands pointed at the new arrivals. Tonks and Mrs Longbottom stood. Tonks looked nervous and jumpy, Mrs Longbottom stern and wizened.

"Have you seen Remus?" Tonks asked.

"He's up at the castle, but it's not use, the way is shut." Aberforth grunted. Tonks wrung her hands, before seeing that she could help apparate the remainder of the students out. Soon that had been achieved. Only a few of the stubbornest students remained.

Ginny turned to the clock hanging behind the bar; it could tell her nothing.

"We've got to do something." Ginny muttered, as she and Tonks restlessly paced across the floorboards.

"I agree." Mrs Longbottom spoke up. "But there's not much we can do from here."

Ginny paced around the room; looking for inspiration and leadership, but Tonks was too worried about Remus. Aberforth never looked to lead, and she didn't feel familiar enough with Mrs Longbottom. The students – some, like Colin Creevey, were members of Dumbledore's Army, but all seemed to be looking to her for some idea of what to do next.

"Harry is looking for something." Ginny began to explain, as she formulated a plan. "It is very important to us; I don't know why, but Harry has returned to Hogwarts specifically to search for this item. Voldemort, as you know, has knowledge that Harry is in the school. Harry needs all the time he can get."

Ginny suddenly felt her heart plummet, there was a sickening feeling in her throat as she realised the consequences what she was about to ask of everyone.

"We here cannot hope to defeat the Death Eaters with force alone; however, we can force Voldemort to divide his attention, if just for a few minutes. That might be enough time."

"I don't know if the Death Eaters are still here, but I imagine You-Know-Who would have left some of his junior followers here to keep the villagers under control." Aberforth pointed out. "Not to mention those stinkin' Dementors."

Ginny was about to be convinced of the utter folly of her plan, trying to drag others into it. She should just do it herself, but Colin made her stop.

"This is what Harry taught us for, isn't it?" Colin asked. "I know the Patronus Charm. I can fight." Colin said, as others around him nodded. "I'm with you, Ginny." Colin went over and stood next to Ginny

"Colin, you understand…" Ginny began to explain, but she couldn't say it aloud. _This is a suicide mission._

Colin grinned quirkily, and Ginny was reminded of the overly-excitable boy whose spirits never seemed to dampen, not even in the worst circumstances.

Ginny looked over at the rag-tag group, a handful of Witches and Wizards in the Hogs Head, before casting her spell.

Filled with an odd sense of renewed hope, Ginny felt the worry pawing at the back of her mind shrink, replaced with a burning sense of pride and her fear pulled away, replaced with a ferocity that surprised herself

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A gleaming, majestic silver horse pawed and whinnied, as Ginny's words were echoed by people around the room, before Ginny sent it out the door and into the streets, leading the patronuses and the magicians into battle.


End file.
